Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

James:

You need to take the whole of Judges into account.

What we see in Joshua is a quick conquest of Canaan. But it was a political
conquest that did not drive out all the Canaanites, rather it just smashed
their political cohesiveness and took over the cities. But what about all
the people living outside of the cities in the farming villages? Joshua is
silent on them, but Judges mentions that they were enslaved, not driven out
or killed (chapters 1 & 2). Afterwards, Israel was repeatedly driven from
the cities by invaders (did the invaders have help from the Canaanite
slaves? the text is silent). Only under David was the kingdom finally fully
secured with all the cities under permanent Israelite control.

That would account for the archeological finds that the cities during this
period were often abandoned or just small, insignificant towns (contrary to
the tell Amarna letters). It also accounts for why the cities were often
reconquered. It also accounts for why those cities that were dwelt were
relative poor, lacking multi-generational wealth of long settlement.

This is the message imparted by the text of Tanakh.

If you believe, as I do, that Tanakh presents accurate history, then you
must conclude that Egyptian history is all messed up. The contradictions are
too striking.

Karl W. Randolph.